AfroBlue, Gerri Allen Trio, H.U. Jazz Ensemble; et
by HillcrestSouth on 4/11/14Cramton Auditorium - WashingtonA Touch of Blue, offshoot and different generations of AfroBlue alumni was worth hearing too. The featured jazz pianist and composer Gerri Allen and her accompanying Dashiell father on bass and son on drums, anchored the affair with an extended piano piece that transformed into changing tempos and time signatures interweaving classical with traditional and avant garde. The selections by the Howard University Jazz Ensemble highlighted the strong and confident playing of their drummers and horn players, not to forget the piano, guitars and bass. Again featuring alumni and seasoned journeymen, already fixtures in the extended jazz community. An unusually-long but welcome concert was closed with the venerable and beloved Hugh Masekela who walked and talked and carried his students through 2 classic pieces, ending with his own 'Grazing in the Grass' .